The Pinaleños are one beautiful and gnarly mountain range. We have a lot more exploring to do in this range, and it is guaranteed to be an adventure. Looking at a map, everything looks lovely. Like many trails in Arizona, constructed by the CCC and never given much maintenance beyond that, the trails are not … Read More “Pinaleños: More Fire Damage” »
Month: May 2023
The natural history of all the mountains in the Sonoran Desert are intriguing, but perhaps none have a richer human history than the Chiricahuas. Named for the Chiricahua band of Apache who lived here, the Chiricahuas and the neighboring Dragoon mountains are where the Apache made their last stand resisting the encroaching white settlers intent … Read More “Part Foolish and Part Brave in the Chiricahuas” »
Southern Arizona is home to a unique ecosystem. Lowlands punctuated by mountain ranges, coupled with biannual rainy seasons, has made the Sonoran Desert the most biodiverse desert on the globe. Thousands of years ago, when the climate was wetter and cooler, the lowlands were made up of pinon-juniper-oak forests. Over time, the climate changed and … Read More “Adventures in the Fire-Ravaged Sky Islands” »
Not meant to be a thru-hike but we did it anyway.